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“We have been moving people in and out and are providing opportunities for others to get in and get some looks. We want to keep everybody sharp and not have too much time expire. We never really know when we’ll need all these guys.
“We’re also still unsure who the right guys are on that line, so we’ll keep moving things around until we find the right fit. To those coming in, it’s a chance to follow suit and keep up with that competition.”
FREE AS A BOYD
Until Tuesday, Boyd had not scored in almost a calendar year, against Montreal while with the Washington Capitals.
“Travis hasn’t had very many practice reps with us, so for him to step in and play the way he did was great,” Keefe said. “Not only because he scored a big goal for us, but production from that line is a nice bonus.
“He has the ability to do that. He’s scored a lot at different levels and has found a way to produce at the NHL in his limited time.”
Boyd reached double-digit points in both of his first two partial seasons with the Caps and has been up as high as 63 points in the AHL with Hershey following three years in the U.S. National Development program and four playing on his home state University of Minnesota.
FAST TRACK
There’s plenty of speed on the line of Ilya Mikheyev, with a lighter John Tavares at centre and William Nylander. Now, how about a couple of goals from the two wingers?
Mikheyev went into Thursday’s game looking for his first of the season, Nylander his third after netting two in the season opener. They’ve totalled six assists overall in various duties. Nylander acknowledged his shots are down a bit.
