Who's most responsible for Bruins' disastrous begin to season?

Who’s most to blame for Bruins’ disastrous start to season? initially appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Bruins are an absolute mess proper now.

Simply while you suppose this workforce cannot play any worse, they offer one other lackluster efficiency the place the very same issues — lack of 5-on-5 scoring, too many penalties, etc.— crop up and in some circumstances develop bigger.

The B’s hit a brand new low Thursday night time in Carolina. The Hurricanes dismantled the Bruins in an 8-2 win at PNC Enviornment. The Bruins could not generate any offense. They scored one 5-on-5 purpose and one other on a 5-on-3 energy play that required an unimaginable stroke of puck luck to seek out the again of the online. The defending was atrocious. The ability play (1-for-5) and penalty kill (2-for-3) have been terrible.

The gamers lacked vitality, self-discipline and a spotlight to element. Whenever you consider the Bruins’ success over the past 15 or so years, these three attributes have been at all times there. The B’s have at all times been among the many hardest groups to play in opposition to. However 11 video games into the 2024-25 season, you’d should rank them among the many best to face.

For the primary time in Jim Montgomery’s tenure as head coach, the Bruins are on the backside of the Atlantic Division standings by means of the primary 11 video games of a season.

The B’s are 4-6-1 and have misplaced 5 of their final six video games. Boston had a 10-1-0 report after 11 video games in 2022-23 (Montgomery’s first season) and a 9-1-1 report after 11 final season.

So, who’s responsible for this disastrous opening to the season in Boston?

This is a listing of the highest candidates (in no specific order).

Jim Montgomery, Head coach

Montgomery has tried nearly each attainable line mixture possible over the past two weeks. The one line that is produced offensively with any form of consistency is the fourth line of John Beecher, Mark Kastelic and Cole Koepke.

Montgomery determined to separate up that trio in opposition to the Hurricanes and see if every participant might assist energize a unique line. The thought backfired as Beecher, Kastelic and Koepke all didn’t tally a degree and every took a minimum of one minor penalty. Two of the Hurricanes’ power-play objectives have been scored after penalties by Beecher and Koepke.

Montgomery additionally hasn’t been in a position to assist this workforce create any offense at 5-on-5. It is vital to start out quick while you’re a struggling workforce. The B’s did the other Thursday:

The Bruins rank twenty fifth in objectives scored at 5-on-5 with 16 in 11 video games, whereas rating twenty fifth at 2.64 objectives per recreation (all conditions). The B’s additionally rank twenty fifth in energy play proportion (14.9) and twentieth in penalty killing (76 p.c).

We might debate how scorching Montgomery’s seat is correct now. The truth is he hasn’t executed an amazing job this season. He is additionally within the last yr of his contract.

Montgomery clearly deserves a portion of the blame for the workforce’s struggles to this point, however the majority of the blame ought to fall on the gamers. That is an costly roster filled with gamers who’re performing properly beneath expectations, and plenty of them are core gamers.

The one first-, second- or third-line participant with greater than two objectives scored is David Pastrnak. He leads the workforce with six objectives and 10 factors. Nobody else on the workforce has greater than three objectives. Being overly reliant on one participant simply is not a successful formulation. Solely six of the 12 forwards who performed Thursday night time had a shot on purpose, although it was an 8-2 recreation.

Montgomery can solely achieve this a lot. In some unspecified time in the future, the gamers have to step up.

Don Sweeney, Normal supervisor

Sweeney deserves loads of blame, too. He constructed the largest roster within the league — actually — coming into the season. The B’s had the second-tallest and heaviest roster on Opening Night, per Elite Prospects. The end result to this point? A sluggish workforce that lacks the talent and scoring depth to compete with one of the best groups and — as we noticed Tuesday in opposition to the Flyers — even the bottom-tier groups.

Sweeney hasn’t made any roster strikes to assist Montgomery and the workforce for the reason that common season started. Tyler Johnson performed properly in coaching camp and the preseason however stays unsigned. Johnson can be an improve over the likes of Max Jones and others. It is also a thriller as to why high prospect Fabian Lysell hasn’t gotten an opportunity to show himself on the NHL degree. Lysell’s velocity, nice shot and spectacular playmaking potential at proper wing — a place of want for Boston — would inject a lot wanted offensive talent into this group.

Sweeney has executed an amazing job constructing playoff-caliber rosters in Boston, particularly lately when so many core gamers — Zdeno Chara, Tuukka Rask, David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, and so forth. — have left or retired. Plenty of groups would go straight to the underside of the standings after shedding a lot Corridor of Fame-level expertise.

However Sweeney is in the end accountable for this yr’s roster, and now he has to repair it. The Bruins desperately want one other top-six and middle-six ahead, ideally a purpose scorer on the wing. Can he discover an inside or exterior answer in time to avoid wasting the season?

Charlie Coyle, Middle

Coyle performed superior final season, setting profession highs with 25 objectives and 60 factors. He has tallied 44-plus factors in three consecutive seasons — the longest such streak of his profession. Extending that run is shaping as much as be a troublesome job after his sluggish begin to the present marketing campaign.

Coyle has scored just one purpose — in opposition to the Avalanche on Oct. 16 — with zero assists in 11 video games. Moreover, he has totaled simply 12 pictures on web in 11 video games, and he is been held with out a single shot in 5 of these matchups. Coyle just isn’t an elite offensive participant, however the Bruins want 15-25 objectives and 25-35 assists from him as a top-six heart.

In his protection, his left wing — Brad Marchand — is struggling to attain (extra on that beneath), and he hasn’t had a constant proper wing on the second line. However there’s nonetheless no excuse for Coyle to be so ineffective offensively at this juncture of the season.

The Bruins are additionally struggling defensively with Coyle on the ice. The B’s have been outscored 7-1 and opponents have had 26-20 benefit in high-danger possibilities throughout Coyle’s 115:25 of 5-on-5 ice time this season. As well as, Coyle is successful simply 42.3 p.c of his faceoffs, which is the worst win charge on the workforce. He was at 51.6 p.c or greater in every of the final two seasons. Coyle received simply two of his 10 attracts in opposition to the Flyers on Tuesday night time.

Boston wants a significantly better efficiency from Coyle at each ends of the ice.

Brad Marchand, Left wing

Marchand had three different procedures in the offseason, so it is not too shocking that it is taking some time for him to get going. However as one of many workforce’s finest offensive gamers, Marchand must be extra constant as a purpose scorer.

It took him till Recreation No. 9 — an additional time win over the Toronto Maple Leafs final Saturday — to seek out the again of the online. His second purpose got here on a 5-on-3 energy play in opposition to the Hurricanes, however it was more puck luck than anything else.

Marchand ranked second on the Bruins in objectives scored final season with 29. He’s the one participant on the workforce aside from Pastrnak who has scored 20-plus objectives in every of the final two seasons. Truthful or not, the Bruins want Marchand to be a 25-plus purpose scorer. They do not have anybody else on the roster — once more, moreover Pastrnak — who’s able to scoring at that charge.

Marchand’s 0.48 factors per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 by means of 11 video games is the bottom of his profession. The one different time he has tallied fewer than two factors per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 was final season (1.6). Marchand has zero 5-on-5 objectives in 11 video games.

Along with not scoring, Marchand has taken six penalties in 11 video games. He is too vital to the Bruins’ success to be spending a lot time within the field for minor penalties.

Elias Lindholm, Middle

Lindholm was signed to a big free agent contract (seven years, $54.25 million) over the summer season to be a dependable purpose scorer and playmaker at even power and the facility play. He began out quick, scoring two objectives with three assists within the Bruins’ first three video games. However since then, he is been principally invisible offensively because the No. 1 heart.

The Swedish ahead has tallied just one level (an help on the facility play Thursday) over the past eight video games. He has not developed a powerful chemistry with David Pastrnak, which is each shocking and regarding. Montgomery broke up this tandem at Wednesday’s follow.

Even Montgomery is not certain why the Lindholm-Pastrnak duo hasn’t been extra productive.

“It ought to work,” Montgomery told reporters Wednesday. “Two sensible hockey gamers, two gamers that see the ice very well, two gamers that may shoot and cross, two gamers that may skate. It simply hasn’t materialized, so we’re altering it up.”

Lindholm has performed properly defensively. He is robust on the forecheck and constantly is matched up in opposition to the opponent’s top-six forwards. He is fifth on the workforce in hits and leads all B’s forwards with 17 shot blocks. However for the Bruins to function at most capability, they want Lindholm to be rather more of a drive offensively.

There are plenty of the reason why the Bruins energy play is struggling, and one in every of them is that Lindholm just isn’t producing sufficient scoring possibilities for himself or teammates with the person benefit. He has scored zero objectives with two assists on the facility play by means of 11 video games.

Pavel Zacha, Left wing

Zacha has thrived below Montgomery. He has performed two seasons in Boston and set profession highs in assists and factors every year, culminating with 59 factors in 2023-24. He has scored 21 objectives in every of the final two seasons after failing to hit the 20-goal mark in his first six years with the New Jersey Devils.

This season has been far totally different.

Zacha scored Boston’s first purpose of the season vs. the Florida Panthers on Opening Night time. He hasn’t discovered the again of the online since. His solely level within the final 9 video games is a power-play help in opposition to the Leafs final Saturday. He has produced simply two 5-on-5 factors (zero within the final 9 video games). This lack of manufacturing is unacceptable for a top-six ahead. Zacha additionally is not taking pictures sufficient. He has registered just one shot on web in three of the final 4 video games.

The Bruins haven’t got a ton of high quality scoring depth at left wing, particularly when Marchand is struggling. They badly want Zacha to be a extra constant scorer, particularly if he is enjoying with linemates of Lindholm and Pastrnak’s caliber.

Morgan Geekie, Middle/proper wing

The Bruins tried many alternative gamers at second-line proper wing in coaching camp and the preseason, and Geekie in the end earned the position by Opening Night time. Sadly for Geekie, it hasn’t labored out on this spot (or another, truthfully) over the primary 11 video games.

Geekie has scored zero objectives with one help in 9 video games. He has zero 5-on-5 factors. He is not taking pictures sufficient, both, tallying a couple of shot on web in simply three of 9 video games. He was a wholesome scratch Thursday in Carolina.

Geekie loved an excellent debut in Boston when he posted profession highs of 17 objectives and 22 assists final season. He is not a nasty offensive participant by any means. But when the Bruins are going to have the quantity of scoring depth required for a playoff run, Geekie needs to be a part of that success.

Charlie McAvoy, defenseman

McAvoy has by no means put up gaudy offensive numbers. However he hasn’t tallied a single level in his final 9 video games, and in that span he has registered one or zero pictures six occasions. That is nowhere close to adequate for a participant with a $9.5 million wage cap hit who must be within the high 10 of Norris Trophy voting every year.

The Bruins have a minus-32 differential in shot makes an attempt, a minus-17 differential in pictures on web, a minus-8 scoring likelihood differential and a minus-1 purpose differential throughout McAvoy’s 169:10 of 5-on-5 ice time this season, per Natural Stat Trick. It is by no means a great signal when the ice is tilted decidedly within the opponent’s favor throughout your finest defenseman’s minutes.

Jeremy Swayman, goaltender

The Bruins have not performed properly in entrance of Swayman. However the actuality is he has to play higher proper now and bail out a few of these errors. That is what a goalie who ranks among the many high 10 and is paid $8.25 million yearly on common is anticipated to do.

Swayman has a 3-4-1 report with a .884 save proportion and a 3.57 GAA. He ranks 54th out of 71 goalies with minus-2.2 objectives saved above anticipated, per MoneyPuck. There are plenty of Bruins gamers performing worse than Swayman, however because the No. 1 goalie, he must play rather a lot higher.