Nothing at all seemed different about Noel Acciari after the Bruins practice at Warrior Ice Arena on Wednesday. His linemates Tim Schaller and Sean Kuraly? Business per usual.
The gritty fourth line’s identity remains unchanged, too.
“I think we’re simple-minded when it comes to playing right now,” Acciari said. “I think it’s just get pucks deep, get pucks to the net and just kinda be hard to play against.”
But something is undeniably different. The line, which hasn’t yet adopted a clever nickname, has been “just kinda hard to play against” since it was assembled, and that’s been giving Boston’s stars a breather against some of the NHL’s best lines.