Bruins have one more challenge before the 4 Nations break — Bruce Cassidy and the Golden Knights
“[We’re] going into the last four games and treating it like playoff hockey,” Joe Sacco said Friday.
Joe Sacco and the Bruins aren’t looking ahead to more than a week away from the rink.
While any prescribed rest during the 4 Nations Face-Off is welcomed during the 82-game regular season, the Bruins are not in any position to rest on their laurels.
Just eight games separate the Bruins from the March 7 trade deadline, with management weighing its options as the team sits outside the playoff structure.
With points at a premium over this critical stretch, Sacco and his players are looking to seize momentum going into the extended break.
It’s a task easier said than done, considering that Bruce Cassidy and the Golden Knights represent the final hurdle ahead of that two-week reprieve.
“[We’re] going into the last four games and treating it like playoff hockey,” Sacco said Friday. “So far, we’re 2-1 out of those four right now. We have one more game to finish it off, and it’s a massive opportunity for us.”
The Bruins will be buoyed in Saturday’s matinee matchup by the location, their dominance at TD Garden (18-8-3) one of the few slivers of consistency this season.
But Vegas represents a frustrating mismatch for a Bruins squad hard-pressed for offense.
Cassidy has made the most of his situation following his surprise firing by the Bruins in June 2022, hoisting the Stanley Cup in his first year with the Golden Knights. In two-plus years, Cassidy has a 219-128-68 record.
The hallmarks of a Cassidy-crafted team are evident with Vegas (32-17-6, second in Pacific Division). Not only do the Golden Knights pepper the net (29.5 shots per 60 minutes of even-strength hockey, fourth in NHL), they suppress attempts at the other end.
Cassidy’s rigid defensive structure — coupled with a beefed-up blue line featuring the likes of Alex Pietrangelo, Noah Hanifin, Brayden McNabb, and Nicolas Hague — regularly negates scoring chances.
The Golden Knights are giving up only 25.9 shots per 60 minutes of even-strength hockey, sixth-best mark in the NHL. That could mean trouble for the Bruins, who failed to land 20 shots on net for the seventh time this season in Wednesday’s loss to the Rangers.
“Knowing Bruce and how his teams play, we have to be well-prepared for a grinding type of game,” Sacco said. “They’re stingy defensively . . . They have a big D corps, and they check well. So I think for us, it’s about trying to put a focus on getting to the inside of the ice as best we can.” tomorrow.”
Fire away
From Sacco’s perspective, one of the reasons for the Bruins’ scoring struggles has been “deferring too much” during offensive-zone possessions.
Count among the top culprits. After a career-high 25 goals and 60 points last season, the 32-year-old forward is on pace for 19 goals and just 29 points in 2024-25.
Coyle, who ranks 15th on the Bruins in shots per 60 minutes (4.78), knows that putting more pucks on net isn’t just an avenue toward bolstering his own goal total.
Given the size of the Bruins’ forwards, a higher shot volume should give way to more of tips, rebounds, and greasy tallies. “You can’t always look for the perfect play because it’s usually not there,” Coyle said. “I think in the grand scheme of things playing off the shot is never a bad thing when you have a body or two there and you get the team kind of overthinking and running around.”
Awaiting Lindholm
The Bruins should receive a lift after the break, with Hampus Lindholm likely cleared for game action once play resumes. “We’re hopeful that when we get back he’s ready,” Sacco said . . . The Bruins will resume practices Feb. 18, with Sacco stressing an emphasis on “special teams, game management, and structure” before game action resumes Feb. 22 against the Ducks.
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