Fabian Lysell Ready To Seize Opportunity In First Extended Chance with Bruins

Fabian Lysell already debuted for the Boston Bruins earlier this season, but that turned out to be merely a one-off appearance. Starting tonight, he’ll receive his first extended opportunity in the NHL.

“I’m just trying to be myself out there,” Lysell said to reporters in San Jose. “If there’s a passing lane, I’ll try to find guys open, or if I have a shooting opportunity, I’m just going to try to rip it, see where it goes, and take it from there. I’m trying to play simple from the start.”

Lysell will play the right wing alongside Elias Lindholm and Marat Khusnutdinov as the Bruins visit the San Jose Sharks. Jakub Lauko will drop down to the fourth line and take the place of Mark Kastelic, who will miss the remaining four games of Boston’s road trip with an upper-body injury.

Lysell’s first run with the Bruins came back on Dec. 28. In it, he used his blazing speed in transition to help set up the opening goal just over two minutes into what resulted in a 4-0 victory over Columbus Blue Jackets at TD Garden He finished with 11:32 of time on ice and a plus-one rating.

While Lysell’s final stat line that night was blemish-free, the Bruins never intended to keep him on the roster for long and optioned him back down to AHL Providence shortly afterward.

Back for more than just a cup of coffee this time around, the Bruins are looking for Lysell to showcase the same ability and more.

“I thought that the one game he played in, he did a good job,” said Bruins interim coach Joe Sacco. “He showed some offensive capabilities. Just like any other young player, he’s going to get more of an opportunity here tonight, playing on that line, he’ll get some more minutes. Offensively, he’s got to be able to make some plays for us and produce some offense, whether it’s offensively in the zone or through the neutral zone off the rush. And then his details and habits have to be solid away from the puck.”

Lysell’s latest opportunity comes as Boston has lost four straight games and 12 of their last 15. After trading away franchise mainstays Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo, and Charlie Coyle earlier this month, the organization has all but waived the white flag on this season.

With their postseason chances slim at this point, the Bruins are looking toward the future, and Lysell is expected to be a major part of it. However, even three years into his professional career, there’s still a fair amount of uncertainty surrounding him.

The former first-round draft choice has all the skill in the world, but his appetite to compete is believed to be a glaring hole in his game. That hasn’t limited Lysell too much at the AHL level, where he’s scored 141 points in 161 career games. But without it in the NHL, he’ll be eaten alive.

“You have to be competitive to play in this league,” Sacco said. “We all know that. Working hard is one thing, but you know, this is a second-effort league. It always has been. Your competitive level has to rise. We have guys right now–they’re getting an opportunity, maybe where they wouldn’t have before, with injuries and some of the deals and whatnot. It’s an opportunity, and you have to be really ultra-competitive to play in this league and to stick in this league.”

That’s been an issue for some of the other young players that the Bruins have given opportunities to this season so far, placing even more of an emphasis on Lysell as he gets his shot.

He doesn’t plan on missing.

“It’s all about intuition,” said Lysell. “Everything happens so quick, but sometimes it’s easier, especially if you’re a little bit nervous to go for the shot, because then you only focus on the net. After that, everything else can open up.”

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