Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports
The 2013 regular season wasn’t so kind to Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic. He got off to an extremely slow start, and even served as a healthy scratch at one point. When the playoffs rolled around, however, it was a different story entirely for the veteran forward, and one that bodes well for him in 2013-14.
Considering the fact that Lucic is typically a player that you can rely on for about 0.75 points per game during a season, the fact that he only posted 0.58 points per last year was a tremendous disappointment. The first two months of the season saw Lucic post only 11 points overall.
He showed flashes here and there of returning to form during the regular season, with a pair of three-game point streaks and a couple of multi-point performances, but he was largely unable to put any sort of consistency together. Not playing during the lockout certainly contributed to that.
During the playoffs, the play of Lucic was a different story entirely. He nearly matched his scoring numbers from the regular season, with 19 points on the playoffs, and he was part of a line, along with Nathan Horton and David Krejci, that was among the most deadly of any team in the postseason.
He was particularly effective during the Stanley Cup Finals. Although the Bruins obviously came up short in their bid for a second title in three years, Lucic posted six points in six games, including three points in the opening game. Throughout the entire playoffs, he was a physical force, as well as an offensive weapon for Boston.
Which could mean good things for him heading into the new season. Without extended time off, because of the lockout, Lucic will have training camp and the preseason, in addition to a strong finish. He should easily return to the regular force that he is for the Bruins in 2013-14.
