Jim Montgomery liked what he saw from Morgan Geekie.
Mired in a season-long slump after last year’s breakout effort, the versatile forward sat out for three straight games before, Montgomery reinserted him into the Bruins lineup for Tuesday’s game at St. Louis.
“Morgan Geekie, I’m really proud of him. He sat out three games in a row,” Montgomery said on NESN. “But I could see his work ethic in practice, coming and coming.”
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Montgomery put him back in the lineup on Tuesday and was rewarded for it.
“It says a lot about him and how he’s wired,” Montgomery said. “He just kept working in practice. I sat him out three games in a row and he was really good.”
Geekie scored his first goal of the season to start the third-period comeback that led to the Bruins’ 3-2 win.
“It was a big goal in the game. I felt like we were all over it tonight. It was nice to see one go in,” he said and later added. “It’s good. It’s always good to get the first one, especially just coming back in the lineup. It helps a lot. Mentally it’s good for sure.”
Geekie was proud to be part of a win that gave the Bruins a lift.
“That’s a good character win for our group. It speaks to how good we can play as a team. There’s no quit, that’s for sure,” he said. “We know in this room how good of a team we have, and to fight back for that one, means a lot for sure.”
Montgomery hoped this would be a springboard.
“That’s his best game of the year,” he said. “That’s the Morgan Geekie that we know that can help the Bruins every night.
