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5 thoughts on 5 Bruins as frustration mounts |
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Ty Anderson
 Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • RSS
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20 percent of the way into the 2024-25 season, I gotta say, I still have no clue who, what, or even where the Bruins really are with their game. They’ve had some nightmares where you’ve felt like it was the final blow before some message-sending moves from above only to be saved by a strong effort the next night. They’ve also had some moments where you’ve gone, “Huh. This could be it. This could be their identity” only to watch it get tossed out the door like a mob hit.
It’s been one gigantic headache, in case a 7-7-2 record didn’t tell you as much.
And following last Saturday’s overtime loss to the Senators, and with the Bruins held without a shot on goal for the entire third period, even Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery sounded like someone whose headaches are getting the best of him.
“I don’t have an answer,” Montgomery said when asked why third periods have become a painfully glaring issue for his team. “We’ll look at why and what we’re doing sports science-wise, but right now, I don’t have an answer for you.”
It was not the first time that Montgomery didn’t have an answer he wanted to share with the rest of the assembled media in the TD Garden press conference room.
“That’s up for you guys to figure that out and come up with a reason,” Montgomery said when asked why he doesn’t believe the messaging is getting through to the team. “We just weren’t good enough. You guys can write what you guys think is the malaise on the team and what’s going on. We’re just not playing good enough.”
And with a quick “thanks,” Montgomery decided that was enough talking for the evening, and ended his postgame availability after just six questions in 91 seconds.
Yet, for all the frustration and for all the undeniable and painfully apparent issues this team has, the Bruins remain in the thick of things in the Atlantic Division.
Here are five quick thoughts on five Bruins…
- We have not seen the best from David Pastrnak this season.
There’s been flashes sure, but Pastrnak is really the only Bruins player with legit ‘takeover’ potential on a nightly basis, and it just really hasn’t been there as much as it has been over the last two seasons. (I honestly think Pastrnak’s 2023-24 campaign for a Boston roster of value, bargain-bin additions and roleplayers was probably more Hart Trophy-worthy than his 2022-23 when he was a finalist for the honor, but that’s another topic for another day, I confess.)
And speaking with the Czech version of NHL.com, Pastrnak seemed to indicate that his slow start was due to an injury that delayed his offseason program this past summer. Again, “seemed to indicate.” Pastrnak addressed that on Monday, noting that the interview was taken out of context, and that while Pastrnak was indeed hurting the 2024 World Championships, it was not something that he feels has lingered and limited him into the regular season.
The chemistry with Pastrnak and Elias Lindholm didn’t really seem to be there out of the gate this year, but moving Pavel Zacha back to the middle and next to Pastrnak may be the thing that gets him going. I mean, after all, Zacha has already posted back-to-back goals after going basically a month without scoring a goal.
Pastrnak is truly not a player that I worry about at the end of the day, but the sooner he gets going and gets back to scoring at the rate he has for the last two years, the sooner everything else on this roster may slot into its proper place.
- There’s honestly so much frustration with the Bruins right now, so let’s talk about a player that I think has been fantastic for them this year, and that’s Hampus Lindholm. The B’s entered the season talking about how they would need to get more scoring from their backend, and it feels like Lindholm has not only accepted, but truly thrived with that coaching philosophy and directive. Everything Lindholm does in the offensive zone is direct, and borderline done without thinking (in a good way). Usage and deployment is playing a sneaky-big role in this, too, with Lindholm given more offensive-zone run than a year ago.
- If we’re gonna talk about the most disappointing player on the Bruins through 16 games this season, however, it’s almost gotta be Trent Frederic, right?
Just one goal and three points. That makes Frederic one of just 28 NHL forwards to play at least 200 minutes and score just one goal or fewer. It’s not just the results that are troubling, but also the fact that Frederic’s status as a player who can make any and every line better has not really been there this season.
Of course, this may be some natural regression from Frederic after a two-year shooting bender that featured 35 goals on 243 shots (a 14.4 shooting percentage).
But with Frederic in a contract year and considered a staple of Boston’s middle-six forward group, that heater needs to come to the table.
- Perhaps I'm simply whistling past the graveyard, but no worries about Brad Marchand here. I know there was a lot of concern about Marchand given his slow start -- and after three separate offseason surgeries -- and I can't sit here and tell you that you're crazy. But the streakiness of Marchand's scoring touch has become part of his game, and while it can be frustrating when it's going in the wrong direction, it's also something that gives you reason to believe that he's never truly and out. Marchand has indeed heated up of late, too, with five goals and eight points in his last eight games. And here's something to consider here: Marchand had four different streaks of at least eight straight games without a goal a year ago, and he still finished with 29 goals. Marchand's a microwave, baby.
- I am hitting the point where I firmly believe that the Bruins either need to make a move on Jim Montgomery or have a statement or press conference from Don Sweeney where he gives Montgomery a vote of confidence. It's beginning to feel like this is hanging over the club.
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