The five biggest problems facing the Bruins
COMMENTARY
The Bruins haven’t had many bright spots so far in the 2015-16 season.
The 1-3 B’s have been outscored 18-13, and have lacked the identity for which they spent the offseason searching. In three of four games, they have been neither fast nor physical enough. And the offseason departures of Milan Lucic and Dougie Hamilton seem to be affecting the squad more than offseason additions Matt Beleseky, Brett Connolly, Jimmy Hayes, and Zac Rinaldo.
Here are their five biggest problems.
1. They keep making mistakes, particularly while clearing the puck
Between poor passing and puck-handling, the Bruins continually fail to clear their defensive zone, which leads to wide open shots on net and easy goals for opponents. Twice against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Bruins lost the puck in the neutral zone and the Lightning quickly turned the puck around for a score. Against the Jets, Matt Irwan skated slowly to the puck behind Tuukka Rask, allowing Andrew Ladd to steal the puck and assist Blake Wheeler for a wide-open goal.
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In their third game, Boston allowed a shorthanded breakaway goal from Tampa Bay’s Brian Boyle. And it wasn’t the only time this season the Bruins had watched an opponent spring free while on power-play. Ladd had the same opportunity against the Bruins during the season-opener, but couldn’t finish.
2. They aren’t protecting the crease
Opponents have no trouble crashing the net and posting up in front of goalie Tuukka Rask.
Back-door and cross-ice passes have penetrated the Bruins defense, and opposing scorers easily tip or one-time the puck past Rask. Admittedly, the Finnish goaltender hasn’t been sharp, allowing a few gimmes.
“I felt like we lacked some passion on too many nights,’’ Cam Neely said, via The Boston Globe.
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3. The team isn’t healthy
Every NHL team sustains injuries, but few have had as many as the Bruins so early in the season.
Zdeno Chara’s return was a relief for a defense that’s still missing Dennis Seidenberg. Brad Marchand has returned to practice after suffering a concussion. It’s been a disjointed start to the season with those key veterans moving in and out of the lineup.
“People say ‘it is what it is’ and injuries haven’t helped in regard to [our situation] because we’ve needed to add more young players in,’’ said Claude Julien, via CSNNE.com. “[The young players] just have to have the confidence that they can do the right things. We need to expect them to do those right things there. Some mistakes out there because of inexperience is one thing, but it’s certainly not an excuse for us. I really feel like we can play well enough to win some hockey games here, and it’s got to come soon.’’
4. Young players can’t develop fast enough
David Pastrnak has been the picture of development for the Bruins, as the second-year winger has a goal and two assists for the Bruins. He’s far from perfect, but the 19-year-old winger continues to stand out while others have not — the Bruins’ third line, in particular.
“For us it’s about bearing down on the defensive side, and trying to score more,’’ third-line center Ryan Spooner said, via CSNNE.com. “The neutral zone is a bit of a problem for us, and we’re working on that to try and slow other teams down. If we can move the puck up quicker and attack a little more than we should be fine.’’
5. Bend don’t break — play three consistent periods of hockey
The Bruins have allowed three goals in the first period of their three games, eight in the second period, and seven in the third. Their play has been passable early in games, but declines significantly after the first intermission,
“Instead of bending a little bit when there’s times where the other team gets a little bit of momentum, we’ve broken down,’’ said Julien, via The Boston Globe. “We’ve given up those goals. You can bend in the game. But you’ve got to regroup and get your game back. We’ve broken down and had to chase the game at times. That’s an area where a big change has to come.’’
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