SUNRISE, Fla. — Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon came to this part of North America circa 1513, convinced he would find the Fountain of Youth.
Bruins coach Claude Julien landed inside BB&T Arena 500 years later, his team with only 18 goals in the new world of NHL 2016-17, desperate to unearth a wellspring of offense. He would be hard-pressed to say the signs of discovery have been encouraging.
Take, for instance, Boston’s third line, Matt Beleskey-Riley Nash-Jimmy Hayes, what has become the Zero Sum Line. The tepid trio finished October with a collective scoring line of 0-0—0 and an embarrassing minus-16 rating.
Yet Julien has stuck with them, if for no other reason that he feels he has little choice.
“If I had some options I really felt I could use, I would do it,’’ explained Julien, who’ll roll out the Zero Sumsters again Tuesday night when the Bruins face Shawn Thornton and the Florida Panthers.
“Right now, I think our fourth line is playing really good,’’ Julien said. “The first line has been really good. David Krejci [on the No. 2 line] is starting to find his groove and needs to play with highly skilled players.’’
And the third line? Not even Ponce de Leon’s keenest-eyed navigators could find those guys. The line has been so futile, in fact, that Julien made clear that he felt none of them merited being placed elsewhere in the lineup in hopes of delivering a different result.
For good reason, he wants to keep the No. 4 line of Tim Schaller-Dominic Moore-Noel Acciari intact. While the top two lines haven’t shot the lights out, the coach doesn’t want to risk whatever chemistry they may have by, say, mixing in Beleskey or Hayes as one of their wingers.
“I am not sure there is anybody on that third line right now that would help David Krejci,’’ assessed Julien, who has Krejci riding these days with Ryan Spooner and center-turned-right-winger Austin Czarnik. “They’ve got to find their game before I can move them up. I don’t want to make another line weaker because, you know, one line isn’t going well.
“At one point, you choose to try to help these guys get better, and that’s what we are trying to do right now.’’
Only Vancouver, with ex-Bruin Loui Ericksson aboard, has scored fewer times (16) this season than the Bruins. Not a lot of coaches would stick with three guys and their collective 0-0—0, but Julien thus far has been unshakable, going to battle really with only three lines that have even a chance to score.
Good signs on Rask
After losing three straight games, by an aggregate 14-4, the Bruins finally stopped the bleeding Saturday night with a 1-0 win in Detroit. Sidelined for a week with what was believed to be a hamstring injury, Tuukka Rask returned and made 24 saves against the Winged Wheels.
Perhaps even more encouraging for the Bruins, Rask made it through the entire practice Monday afternoon. Julien, in fact, sounded hopeful that Rask could start against the Panthers and play again Thursday night in Tampa, the wrapup game to the four-stop trip.
“If I am out there, it means I am feeling good,’’ Rask said. “If I miss some days of practice, ask me then, but I feel good.’’
“Every day that Tuukka gets through practice and games is a good day,’’ said Julien, who has Zane McIntyre on the trip as Rask’s partner/backup. “Same as all the other players, but you know, he has gone through a bit of a tough stretch there with some soreness, and he seems to be doing OK right now.
“We just have to hope that it continues and that he is healthy. We need him.’’
Rask, despite his injury woes, ranks near the top of the league in goals-against average (1.25) and save percentage (.958) among the workhorse goalies. Only Detroit’s Jimmy Howard (0.86 and .973) has posted better numbers.
“Not a whole lot, no,’’ said Rask, asked if he pays much attention to the stats. “Obviously, if you are winning games and not letting goals in, it is easier. But I guess, when you grow older and get more experience, you tend to put those things in the back seat and just focus on playing the game and having fun out there.’’
Chances are there
For all their woes on the power play (dead-last 2 for 28, or 6.7 percent), the Bruins have shown an uptick in how many times they have been awarded the man advantage, compared with recent seasons.
Through Sunday’s games, they were tied for 17th among the 30 teams, with 28 power-play opportunities. Last season the Bruins ranked 28th overall with only 234 chances. In 2014-15 they were 29th (213), and in 2013-14 they were dead last (230).
Why the move to mid-pack this season? Possibly because they have emphasized more of a speed game, particularly on transition. Not all penalties are the product of fast teams being fouled by the opposition. But speed helps.
“I feel better about the number of power plays we are getting,’’ Julien said. “Again, maybe the other side of it, I don’t like the number of penalties we are taking.
“There are some games I feel that really pushed us out of the game,’’ Julien said. “You can kill penalties and have a good penalty kill, but it’s not just about killing them — it’s about the momentum you lose from having to kill those. You get back to five-on-five and your best players have kind of wasted their energy.’’
Penalties have left the Bruins shorthanded 34 times this year; only five clubs have faced more penalty-killing situations. They have been able to make the kill 85.3 percent of the time, ranking ninth in the league.
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeKPD.
