Another day passed in the Black and Gold world, and we saw another third line combination in practice.

With Fabian Lysell dispatched back to Providence, it was Cole Koepke’s turn to get a look with Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau in the Bruins’ session at Warrior Ice Arena before the team headed off to Washington for a New Years Eve matinee against the Capitals.

The third line with Lysell on it had one of its more energetic nights in the B’s 4-0 win over Columbus on Saturday, producing the first goal of the game. Coach Joe Sacco suggested Lysell could be coming back at some point, though the Caps’ heavier lineup may not be the best matchup for the lighter Lysell.

“The message was that he didn’t hurt his chances for another opportunity at some point. He played a good game, did some good things out there. It was an opportunity for him to get up for his first NHL game,” said Sacco. “He got it based on his play. It was based on his merit. He’d done a good job in Providence. But I think the message is ‘continue to build on your game. You did not hurt your chances for another opportunity up here at some point. ‘ We’re going on a road trip, we’re playing against Washington. They have a little different lineup, so we’re going to go with a different lineup against them.”

Sacco would not commit to playing Koepke on the third line, but with Frederic and Brazeau, the line does need a speed element that Koepke can bring.

“I wanted to see what he’d look like with Freddy and Braz, to give them more speed, especially coming through the neutral zone,” said Sacco. “That line needs some pace on it at times. They’re good hockey players but we want to be able to get through the neutral zone a little bit quicker. With Cole there, he can establish that, he can establish the forecheck a little bit more because of his speed. As F1, he gets in there right away, so we’ll see how it goes. I thought it looked pretty goood in practice. Maybe it’s something we experiment with (in Washington).”

Establishing a capable third line is Job One for Sacco right now. That frees Charlie Coyle to play up in the top six with Elias Lindholm and Brad Marchand, which has clicked very well since being united. And there’s been a trickle-up effect, as the top line of Morgan Geekie-Pavel Zacha-David Pastrnak has also picked it up.

But the third line has been mostly in water-treading mode. Oliver Wahlstrom, claimed off waivers from the Islanders a couple of weeks ago, got a few games on the line but there wasn’t a great fit. If the lines from Monday’s practice hold into Tuesday’s game, Wahlstrom will get his second straight scratch.

“It’s been a small sample size, in fairness to Wally, and he’s played a couple of games. I thought that line didn’t have a lot of chemistry together,” said Sacco. “So in fairness to him, he probably hasn’t gotten the best opportunity. His game’s been fine. He’s making an effort to play hard, and harder away from the puck, too. He’s had a couple of opportunities where he’s been off net and I think that’s something he’d like to do a little better, to find that scoring touch by being on net a little more.”

But the biggest potential – and need – for growth lays with Frederic, who has been moved to center with the elevation of Coyle. He’s riding a nine-game pointless streak, has just five goal (four of which have come in two games) and is a team-low minus-13.

“He’s been fine,” said Sacco, not one to publicly rip players. “There’s a lack of production obviously. He hasn’t scored in a while. Freddy’s biggest thing is he’s got to continue to move his feet when he’s playing and he has to be physical. I think that’s a big component of his. When he’s playing hard in the defensive zone, if he’s battling below the goal, he has his assignments defensively, finishing his checks when they’re there, being hard on pucks, those type of things, that’s when Freddy’s game elevates. He’s played a lot of wing over the last year and a half, so we’ve asked him to come back into the pivot. And it’s not easy. In our structure, the center has a lot of work to do. He’s got to cover a lot of ice down low. You’re tracking 200 feet up and down the ice. So there is an adjustment for the center coming into the system. But Freddy knows it. He knows how to play it.”

Frederic, of course, is in a contract year, which in turn has made him the subject of trade speculation. While he said he’s not been hurt by any outside talk (“I’m not in any position right now to be worried about a contract”), he admitted his confidence shooting the puck isn’t exactly at an all-time high after establishing career highs in goals (18) and points (40) last season.

“It’s been better. There have been better moments in my career when I’ve had more confidence,” said Frederic. “It’s just about focusing on the next game and trying to find more confidence just with the little stuff. Usually when you do that, it results in big things like goals.”

One thing Sacco is not concerned about with Frederic is a wandering focus because of his contract situation.

“He’s been committed to what we’re trying to do with the team,” said Sacco. “He’s trying to get his game back to where he feels it needs to be. He’s working hard, trying to do the right things. He’s probably frustrated with the lack of production maybe here or there, and it’s our job as a staff that we’re helping him out and trying to push him in the right direction.”…

The Capitals will have a certain piece in the lineup that was not there in the B’s strong 4-1 win over the Caps. Alex Ovechkin, who was still rehabbing from a broken leg for the December 23 game against the B’s, is back in the lineup. After scoring in the Caps’ loss in Detroit on Sunday, Ovechkin is now within 25 goals of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s goal record…

If the lines stay the same from B’s practice, John Beecher will draw back in on the fourth line with Mark Kastelic and Marc McLaughlin.