After a brisk but battle-centric practice on Tuesday, the Bruins headed out on a three-game road trip to Colorado, Utah and Nashville.

For it to be a successful one, the club’s top six must be more than passengers.

In the short, four-game sample size of this season, that has not always been the case. The second line of Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle and Morgan Geekie has not scored as a group yet and while the first line of Pavel Zacha, Elias Lindholm and David Pastrnak has gotten its points, they’ve yet to become the dominant unit it was hoped to be.

“It starts with the details,” said Pastrnak on Tuesday. “You start with the battles, you start with the details and you make sure the compete level is there and you win battles and then the rest will come usually. We haven’t played our good hockey yet. We’re still in a good spot with two wins, whether they were deserved or not it doesn’t mater. We’ve got two wins. It’s hard to win in this league. We just have to make sure we keep getting better every game. I know it wasn’t an easy schedule. We had the Stanley Cup champions twice in the first four games.”

Perhaps exacerbating the issue of chemistry – or lack thereof – of the first line was the fact that Lindholm missed half of training camp with an injury. Though the centerman, signed to a seven-year deal in the offseason, leads the team in points (2-3-5) and Pastrnak has three goals in four games, they haven’t really clicked yet like Pastrnak did with both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.

Pastrnak believes it will take some. He said he knows what Lindholm is going through.

“We still are working through it. We don’t have enough O-zone time as we would like,” said Pastrnak. “It’s just communication. We’re a little bit spread out. We don’t talk as much on the ice, so we have to be louder out there. It’s going to take a little bit. It’s not easy to come in when me and Pav had played together for so long, coming in being the third guy is not easy. I had the same thing with Bergy and March. They played together for so long and I joined the line. Sometimes it takes time and a lot of communication. He’s a very smart player so I don’t worry about him, but it will take some time.”

The second line has really struggled. Marchand has two assists and has drawn a league-leading seven penalties, but Coyle and Geekie have 0-0-0 in their stat columns and minus-5 and minus-4, respectively. Montgomery broke up the line in Monday’s game.

Montgomery was asked what he thought of Coyle’s performance so far.

“He looks like he’s not up to speed right now. But he’’ll get there, he’s a veteran player that we’ve relied on I so many areas. I don’t have concerns about Charlie getting to where he needs to be,” said Montgomery.

Said Coyle: “I’ve got to be inside more and I’ve got to want the puck a little more, too. Sometimes you feel like you’re chasing the game a little bit…I’ve got to simplify.”

Marchand was held out of practice on Tuesday for maintenance, according to Montgomery, so it was not clear how that second line will look on Wednesday in Denver. But it would not be a shock if the personnel changed. Right now, the only lock to stick together is the fourth line of Mark Kastelic, Johnny Beecher and Cole Koepke.

But whoever is playing with whom, there needs to be overall uptick in intensity battle level, which is a major concern for Montgomery right now.

“Especially this early in the year,” said Montgomery. “You’re going to have times in the season where you’re going to go 3-6-1 in 10 games. Last year we went through it in early December, right before Christmas. You’ve got to find ways to get out of it. But right now, it’s the effort level, the consistency of our effort level over chemistry that is hurting. And that really effects execution.”…

The B’s took some undisciplined penalties after A.J. Greer hit David Pastrnak from behind in Florida’s 4-3 win on Monday. Pastrnak did not give much of an opinion on the hit.

“I know it was from behind. I didn’t see the replay, I didn’t see what happened after. I didn’t see him coming. I didn’t know if it was a crosscheck or a good push,” said Pastrnak.

“I didn’t make much of it, but then I saw Pav fight, which was good to see. But I didn’t make much of it.”

Pastrnak said he doesn’t mind physicality, along as it’s above board.

“I don’t have any problem being hunted as long as it’s within the rules and it’s a clean hit,” said Pastrnak, who took an interference call himself on Sam Reinhart. “I can take those. I have no problem. I have zero problems with clean hits and it will always be that (way). We definitely have to draw the line when it’s a bad play, to answer. There’ll be opportunity for those. Some of them, it’s just a clean hit, that’s hockey. You have to take it. It’s a tough sport. If you can’t take it, you shouldn’t be in the league. So definitely you have to recognize time and space when you have to answer ((bad hits).”…

The Bruins won’t be the only team looking for a get-right game on Wednesday in Denver. The talented Avalanche are 0-3 and have allowed 20 goals.