Haggerty: In his best season, Riley Nash filling in nicely for Bergeron

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BOSTON – The idea that one player is going to step in and replace Patrice Bergeron is flawed at best and most of the time would come up dangerously short of the mark if that’s what the Bruins were truly expecting.

But let's give credit where it’s due to Riley Nash, who has stepped up and been amazing playing in place of No. 37 while centering Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak the past five games since Bergeron was shelved with a fractured right foot. Nash has three goals and seven points along with a plus-4 rating since stepping in and more important, the Bruins have won all five of those games without their best all-around player.

True to his modest nature, Nash wasn’t about to take the lion’s share of the credit...but it’s undeniable nonetheless.

“I don’t know if we want to use the word satisfied because that would mean that we’re content with how it’s going, but it’s been nice to [wins in the past five games]. I said that I haven’t felt that much pressure on myself to step up [with Bergeron’s injury] and be the one guy to fill the void. I know that wasn’t going to happen,” said Nash. “I knew there would be other guys that would step. It was [Tommy] Wingels that stepped up and had a goal and an assist one game and played awesome. Krejci’s line has been pretty good since Rick [Nash] has come aboard there.

“Jake DeBrusk] has done a really good job, and our fourth line has been really solid all year. They just do what they do each and every night. It’s been good. Our ‘D’ has been chipping in a lot more lately too. Torey had a couple of goals, so it’s nice that everybody has been able to pitch in and pick it up for Bergeron.”

So, what’s perhaps clicked this time around that didn’t work so well earlier in the season when Bruce Cassidy inserted Nash in for an injured Bergeron? Certainly, some of it has been about both Marchand and Pastrnak heating up offensively, but the 28-year-old Nash has been scoring his share of goals in this stretch as well.

The key has been allowing Nash to simply focus on filling in for Bergeron in even-strength play and not giving him the added pressure of trying to replace him on the power play as happened earlier in the season. Instead, Nash has been kept off the power play units this time around and is tasked with playing the good, smart two-way game that Bergeron has become known for in his career.

It’s no easy task, but it’s one that’s come a little more easily to a confident Nash as he’s posting career-high offensive numbers for the Bruins this season with the 13 goals and 35 points in 64 games.

“I think part of it is we’re not asking him to take all of Bergy’s workload. I think before we put him in the bumper on the power play, and then instead of being 14-15 minutes, it’s up to 20 some nights. It’s a lot to ask when you’re not used to that, so we used [David] Backes there, who is now out, so someone else has to go in,” said Cassidy. “I think he just has more confidence as a player because he was having a good season with Backes and [Danton] Heinen, and so I think that makes a difference as well.

“Only he can answer that, but that’s what I see: a more confident guy getting rewarded around the net, where earlier in the year, those didn’t seem to go in. The goal like he got [against the Flyers], those would not make it in [earlier this year] or last year. So there’s a little more, probably, urgency, as well when you’re confident; you’re going in there with the purpose of scoring, not hoping to score.”

That urgency and confidence in Nash’s game has made all the difference subbing for Bergeron this time around. The Bruins have to hope it continues as Bergeron was last seen still hobbling around TD Garden on crutches a couple of weeks removed from his fractured right foot.

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