Adam Gaudette, who has roots in Taunton and Braintree, was excited to come home as a member of the division-leading Canucks -- and just in time to catch alma mater Northeastern University win its Beanpot opener.
BOSTON -- Adam Gaudette may never again experience a night at TD Garden like the one he spent on Feb. 12, 2018. Scoring a hat trick and earning MVP honors to lead Northeastern University to its first Beanpot tournament championship in 30 years, after all, will always be a tough feat to beat.
Coming home with a first-place team, to face the first-place team he watched as a kid, isn’t so bad, though.
Gaudette and the Vancouver Canucks, leaders of the NHL’s tightly-packed Pacific Division, met the Bruins at the Garden on Tuesday night in what for Gaudette was an impeccably timed visit: The Canucks, on a five-game road trip, got Monday off, giving Gaudette the opportunity to visit the Huskies before they opened pursuit of their third straight Beanpot by beating Harvard, 3-1.
“It was good to get in there before the game and see them, wish them good luck,” said Gaudette, who was invited to the dressing room by coach Jim Madigan to read off NU’s starting lineup. “Hopefully they can get that three-peat.”
With roots in Taunton and Braintree, where he moved to play at Thayer Academy, Gaudette saw his share of games at the Garden before he played there. Tuesday’s was his second as a pro, and in some ways more comfortable than the first. Yes, he was expecting more than 100 family members and friends to attend, but where he was just dipping his toes into the NHL waters when he and the Canucks were last at the Garden on Nov. 8, 2018, Gaudette has more of a foothold now.
After putting up five goals and 12 points over 56 games as a rookie last year -- a season that included 14 AHL games in Utica, New York -- Gaudette brought eight goals, 15 assists and 23 points to the Garden on Tuesday for his 44th game of the year. He spent only a late October weekend in the minors, and Canucks coach Travis Green hadn’t left Gaudette out of the lineup since early November.
“As far as his overall game, I don’t think we’ve even come close to seeing the best of Adam Gaudette,” Green said. “That’s the evolution of a young player.”
Green has rewarded Gaudette, who led the NCAA in goals (30) and points (60) over 38 games as a junior in 2017-18, with a spot on the Canucks’ second power play. Gaudette showed his appreciation by putting up 4-6--10 totals during manpower advantages.
“The power play is someplace I’ve kind of thrived, especially in college,” Gaudette said. “It’s a transition to come into a different power play, a different set-up, but I think I’ve kind of found my niche with this one. It’s going well.”
Gaudette is trying to help the Canucks transition into a playoff team. They’ve failed to qualify for the last four years, and have played only three first-round series -- all losses -- since the B’s beat them in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.
“These are the kinds of games we look forward to, something we can easily get up for,” Gaudette said. “It’s a playoff-style hockey game, and we want to be in the playoffs, like the Bruins. We want to show we can compete right with them.”
BRIGHT IDEAS: The Bruins’ power play, 0 for 15 in its last four games before the All-Star Break/Bye Week, went 5 for 8 over two wins after the break. Key ingredients: Communication, and being open to new -- sometimes radical -- ideas.
“I’d say we talk every single night about a potential new play,” said defenseman Torey Krug, who took a team-high 20 power-play assists into Tuesday’s game. “Whether or not it comes to fruition is a different story.”
The most creative thinker? David Pastrnak, the NHL leader entering Tuesday with 17 power-play goals -- five more than the next player in line.
“(Pastrnak) is a guy who likes to come up with some ridiculous plays,” Krug grinned, “and we do try them here and there. We’re always looking to inject something new to it, and keep the penalty-killers on their toes.”
AROUND THE BOARDS: B’s winger Danton Heinen, who didn’t play on Saturday in Minnesota because of a minor lower-body injury, was a healthy scratch on Tuesday for just the second time this season. He was replaced by Sean Kuraly, who was a healthy scratch for the first time this year on Saturday. ... Winger Joakim Nordstrom didn’t play because of issues related to allergies. He won’t travel to Chicago for Wednesday’s game against the Blackhawks (8:05, NBC, WBZ-FM 98.5). ... Defenseman John Moore sat out for the fourth game in a row.