2024-10-23 21:35:03
So perhaps it’s no surprise that the Bruins truly broke even by way of a 1-1-1 trip, with a big win in Colorado last week sullied – even if only slightly – by a 4-0 shutout loss at the hands of the previously-winless Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday night.
If we want to focus on the good of this road trip, it really came in the opening 40 minutes of the trip. The Bruins absolutely controlled play against the Avalanche, and it was the most complete, dominant effort that the Bruins had brought to the rink since their home opener performance against the Canadiens, really. The Bruins used all five skaters to keep the pace pushing along against the sluggish Avs, and it felt like they truly beat the fight out of them. They smelled blood and went for the jugular, to the point where Colorado’s third-period push ultimately didn’t seem to matter.
But if we’re to focus on the negatives, losses in Utah and Nashville came with the Bruins’ undeniable bad habits coming back to the table.
Beyond the obvious of Boston’s middle-six forward grouping continuing to be an absolute blackhole for the squad, the Bruins were ‘credited’ with a combined 40 giveaways over the two games against Utah and the Predators, and simply could not bury the chances they did generate at the other end.
Here are four thoughts on a mixed bag of a trip
Penalties continue to be killer for B’s
If there’s one thing that can sink the Bruins faster than anything else on a nightly basis out of the gate here, it’s their penchant for taking some of the worst penalties you’ll see at a rate that’ll make your head spin. Through seven games, the Bruins have been assessed a whopping 39 minor penalties. That’s the most in the league, and comes with a four-penalty lead over the Sharks. (You never, ever, ever wanna be mentioned in the same breath as the Sharks these days, I hate to tell you.)
And these penalties have been as deflating as they sound.
When the Bruins were making their push against the Predators on Tuesday night, it was a Nikita Zadorov penalty that halted that momentum. And then a Charlie McAvoy double-minor crushed it completely, as the Predators doubled their lead just one second after that penalty came to an end.
It all reminds of this one time I talked to an absolutely irate Patrice Bergeron during the preseason some moons ago. I remember Bergeron being oddly mad for what was essentially a warm-up game for him. When asked why, he mentioned that there were simply too many penalties and that it made it downright impossible for the Bruins to build momentum and chemistry together. That frustration feels telling when you consider this year’s ‘newness’ from a roster standpoint and their current woes.
As it stands right now, the Bruins are on pace to commit 457 minor penalties in 2024-25. That would not be the most in their franchise history, but it would be their third-most in the post-2005 era of the NHL, trailing only 2006-07 (491) and 2005-06 (506).
That won’t work for this team.
Defense leading charge in attacking zone
Hey, here’s something that’s both good and bad: If you look at the Bruins’ scoring chances during this road trip, it truly felt like their best looks came from the backend. In fact, if we look at this three-game segment, B’s defensemen accounted for 38 of their 107 shot attempts at five-on-five play, and 13 of their 72 individual scoring chances during all-situational play.
The good thing is that the Black and Gold’s defensive room has clearly heard and understood the assignment. The Bruins entered the year essentially demanding that their defensemen – namely Hampus Lindholm and Mason Lohrei – took on more offensive responsibilities given the talent exodus up front with goals from wingers such as Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, and James van Riemsdyk all moving to new addresses this past offseason. Lindholm has been especially noticeable on that front, with a shot-ready mindset where pucks are seemingly constantly funneled to the net from all angles.
Now, the problem with that is that defensive scoring is often considered fools’ gold. If you build an entire roster around the idea that you’re going to consistently get goals from your backend and not from your forwards (or at something resembling a comparable clip), the odds indicate that you’re most likely going to struggle generating goals on a consistent basis.
But in the now, however, it’s clear that the Bruins need their defense to shoulder more of the offensive zone while the forward grouping looks for any sort of positive momentum.
Jeremy Swayman finding his level
One of the biggest reasons why the Bruins moved on from Linus Ullmark this past offseason came with an exit interview revelation from both Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman that they wanted to play at least 55 games in 2024-25. With an 82-game season, that simply wasn’t possible in Boston. And as Swayman’s stalemate with the Bruins dragged out throughout training camp, it was fair to wonder if the Bruins and Swayman could still hit that number given the ramp-up his season likely required.
But the 25-year-old Swayman found himself in net by Game 2 of the regular season, and has now played in five of seven games overall, and has seemingly gotten better over that stretch.
Keeping it to just this road trip, Swayman posted an 0-1-1 record, sure, but he also turned aside 68 of 73 shots (a .932 save percentage) and was really the only reason these games were close.
Swayman’s start puts him at a 58-start pace by the year’s end and while that may be required, the Bruins should consider giving Joonas Korpisalo some more early-season run here. The thinking there is that you don’t want to burn Swayman out and find yourself closer to that 50-start range by early March and have to burn Swayman out in the name of a playoff or seeding push.
The reserves are coming up short
It might be time to pull the plug on the Max Jones and Riley Tufte experiments.
Twice on this road trip the Bruins made the call to put them in and in both Colorado and Nashville both players disappointed with multiple penalties called against them. In Denver, Tufte took two offensive-zone penalties, while Tuesday in Nashville saw Jones whistled for two infractions in the first period of play. If these guys are going to be your ‘spark’ players thrown in the lineup, that simply can’t happen, especially when you’re starved for some offensive production from your middle six.
This is where I point out that Tyler Johnson is still hanging around on a pro tryout and is patiently awaiting a deal with the Bruins. That can’t happen unless the B’s create some cap space.
Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com and is the host of The Shaw’s & Star Market Hockey Show heard every Saturday morning 9 to 11 a.m. on 98.5 The Sports Hub. He has been covering the Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, and has been a member of the Boston chapter of the PHWA since 2013. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, HockeyBuzz.com or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on X: @_TyAnderson.
