Lysell shines and 3 takeaways from Bruins’ preseason win over Caps

It was a much-anticipated result from Lysell, who also drew the penalty that led to his team’s winning power-play opportunity when he drove to the net and was tripped by Washington defenseman Hardy Haman Aktell.

“We’re really happy with his progression from Game 1 to Game 2,” Montgomery said of Lysell’s play. “And his determination on pucks, his determination to try to score goals, make plays offensively and get back defensively. Good game for him.”

While Lysell’s skating skills and creativity in the offensive zone are well documented, he has been prone to getting deflected off the puck and letting the finer details of his game slip in previous preseason outings.

But on Tuesday, Lysell showed considerable improvement, using his speed to win foot races and chase down loose pucks on Class A ice.

At 5-foot-11, Lysell isn’t expected to be a wrecking ball on the forecheck, but he can use his agility to his advantage well beyond simply trying to get past skaters and attempt risky entries above the offensive blue line.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Lysell said of battling for a spot on the team. “I think that’s how you look at it. Maybe before I felt a little bit more pressure. So I think coming in with a little bit of a different mindset definitely helps – just playing your game out there.”

With five preseason games remaining, Lysell still has a long way to go before he officially cements his spot on Boston’s prospect board. But Tuesday was a step in the right direction for the gifted youngster. Now he needs to build on that moving forward.

Georgii Merkulov also appears

Not to be outdone, another of the Bruins’ most promising forwards, Georgii Merkulov, had a solid performance on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old forward got a nice assist on Justin Brazeau’s third-period goal, setting up his linemate with a nifty backhand pass after carrying the puck through the neutral zone.

“I’ve been playing with Braz for two years now, so I know exactly what he’s going to do, and he probably knows exactly what I’m going to do,” Merkulov noted.

Merkulov now has two assists in two preseason games with Boston this fall, though his overall performance Sunday against New York was still relatively underrated.

The former Ohio State player was more assertive Tuesday as he centered two NHL talents in Tyler Johnson and Justin Brazeau. Montgomery complimented his training habits and detail in practices so far in camp.

The challenge for Merkulov, in Montgomery’s eyes, is to translate these details into games.

“If you train well, you play well,” Merkulov said. “If you train lazily and don’t follow through, then you won’t achieve anything in the game.”

While other youngsters like Lysell and Matt Poitras could grab most of the headlines among Boston’s next generation of talent during camp, Merkulov could be just as ready as Lysell to make an effort, especially after recording 120 points in his last 134 games with Providence.

Don’t rule him out just yet when it comes to Boston’s third-line center vacancy.

Good start for Joonas Korpisalo

He wasn’t necessarily bombarded with pucks, but Korpisalo was very strong in his debut with Boston. He stopped all seven pucks that came his way.

Korpisalo spurned two very dangerous scoring chances and consistently drove toward pucks while sealing the post.

“I thought Korpisalo was very good,” Montgomery said. “He made four tough saves that looked easy, and you can see he’s calm. He’s big in the net. I think Washington had a lot of chances to miss the net because he got the angle. So shooters try to be perfect, but they miss the net. It’s a little thing good goalies do.”

It may have been a small sample size, but making sure Korpisalo is on his game has to be a priority for Boston, given his struggles last season in Ottawa and the potential scenario where the Bruins turn to him in their season opener in two weeks.

“I think it’s important,” Montgomery said of Korpisalo’s importance in starting strong. “Your first outing, no matter your last season, you want to start off on the right foot. You just want to continue to build on it. He’s a pretty confident young guy.”

“I think he knows how good he is, and he had so much success in Columbus, and can’t forget what he did in LA when he got to LA in [2023] “Trade deadline.”

Loose washers

Despite being moved to the wing, Matt Poitras was calm and deft with the puck while skating on a line with Trent Frederic and Brett Harrison. While Boston views Poitras as a long-term pivot, moving him to the wing for now could allow him to simplify his game while further promoting his playmaking abilities in the defensive zone.

If the Bruins want to embrace a youth movement, Poitras could present himself as a pass-first option on a line with Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand.

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Thirty-four-year-old veteran Tyler Johnson has had a solid start to the preseason, due to a contract waiver. While his skating is still good at this stage of his career, it was his skills that made the difference Tuesday. The forward screened Shepard on Lysell’s goal while also passing the puck to Merkulov, who set up Brazeau’s goal.

As long as the money is there, it wouldn’t be surprising if Johnson remains a Swiss Army knife in Boston’s offensive corps.

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It’s no surprise that Brazeau’s goal came directly in front of the net. But the big-bodied winger also logged 1:43 of penalty-killing time in Tuesday’s win. Brazeau isn’t known as a penalty-killing specialist, but taking on that responsibility could help his chances of making the lineup come camp.

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He got a kick from Shepard who pushed the puck into his own net, but he also got a reward from the 6-foot-6 Tufte who drove to the net and was rewarded with his goal at 11:51 of the first period. Beyond his second-period goal, Patrick Brown’s line (Joey Abate and Marc McLaughlin) played simple, straight-line hockey all night.