Lohrei’s emergence as a reliable playoff defenseman is huge for the Bruins originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
The most encouraging development for the Boston Bruins in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs so far is the stellar performance of Jeremy Swayman, who looks a lot like a franchise goaltender.
Second on the list of positives is Mason Lohrei’s emergence as a reliable defender on the sport’s biggest stage.
The rookie blueliner made his playoff debut in Game 3 of the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was a shaky first game for Lorhei as he took two penalties and needed a little time to adjust to the increased physicality and intensity of the postseason.
Not only did Lohrei bounce back quickly in Game 4 of that series, but he has also continually improved in every game he has played since. His best playoff performance came on Monday night in Game 1 of the Bruins’ second-round series against the Florida Panthers at the Bank Amerant Arena. The Bruins won 5-1 and Lohrei played a big role in the outcome.
Lohrei gave the Bruins their first lead since Game 4 of the Leafs series when he fired a perfect shot over the right shoulder of Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky at 16:17 of the second period. He primarily played as a striker until switching to defender at age 16, and that was evident in this goal. You don’t see many defenders with that kind of shot.
David Pastrnak was open at the top of the line on this play, and you wouldn’t have been able to blame Lohrei if he passed in that situation. After all, he is Pastrnak – one of the league’s elite offensive players. But Lohrei had the intelligence to realize that Bobrovsky had to explain Pastrnak’s presence in that area, which gave the young defender an opportunity to earn his place at the top.
“(Parker Wotherspoon) made a great play at the blue line and passed the puck to me,” Lohrei told reporters after the game via NESN broadcast. “I had some space, I raised my head, Pastrnak was at the back door. I think that made the goalkeeper drop a little, so I occupied that space up top.”
Lohrei was also involved in the build-up to the Bruins’ fourth goal, scored by rookie forward Justin Brazeau. He was able to get the puck out of the defensive zone and up the ice despite the Panthers’ prevention. Brazeau finally got the puck, skated into the attacking zone with speed and beat Bobrovsky with a beautiful play to increase Boston’s lead to three goals.
Lohrei finished with one goal, one assist, two shots (four attempts), two shot blocks and four hits in 16:05 of ice time. He became the first rookie defenseman to score a game-winning goal in the playoffs since Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar in 2020. Lohrei is also the fourth rookie d-man in Bruins playoff history to score a game-winning goal, joining Thanks to Mike Milbury (1977), Bruce Shoebottom (1988) and Connor Clifton (2019).
The Bruins selected Lohrei in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft. He made the Bruins roster with an impressive training camp in the fall and ended up playing 41 games for Boston during the regular season (21 with the Providence Bruins of the AHL).
The fact that Lohrei is able to make such a strong impact in the playoffs so early in his career is a huge boost for the Bruins blue line.
His puck handling, smooth skating, hockey IQ and overall offensive talent – both as a scorer and as a playmaker – make him a valuable part of this group. He has been one of the Bruins’ most dangerous players with the puck since he entered the lineup in Toronto. There’s still plenty of room for growth in his game defensively, but he’s not a huge liability in that area and continues to learn how to use his size (6-foot-5, 211 pounds) to his advantage on that end of the ice. .
There are more experienced options on the blue line available to the Bruins. Matt Grzelcyk and Kevin Shattenkirk were healthy scratches for Game 1. These two veterans have played in 157 career playoff games together. But given how well Lohrei is playing right now, it’s hard to see many scenarios in which he would leave the lineup.
Few rookies are capable of making the playoffs and consistently performing better every game. Lohrei has an incredibly bright future. He has the potential to be a top-four defenseman in the NHL for a long time. But the Bruins don’t have to wait for the final product. Lohrei is making a tremendous impact right now.
“He has a lot of confidence and a lot of skill,” Brazeau said after the game when asked about Lohrei, via the NESN broadcast. “He thinks every night he belongs and wants that opportunity to be in the big moments. He’s a great player and a great kid, so I’m happy for him.”
