Report: Are Late Period Defensive Woes A Problem For The Bruins?

The Boston Bruins are one of the hottest teams in the National Hockey League. The Bruins are 17-3-1 in their last 21 games and have been surging since the beginning of 2022. The trade deadline has passed, and Boston has not slowed down, buoyed by the addition of defenseman Hampus Lindholm and reaping the benefits of keeping Jake DeBrusk, at least for now.

But it hasn’t been perfect for head coach Bruce Cassidy’s club. The goaltending tandem of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark has been good overall but has also allowed some soft goals in the last couple of weeks. The third defensive pair is still being sorted out with the addition of rugged d-man Josh Brown. Other than that, it is hard to find much wrong with this team.

However, one other area of concern is the Bruins’ ability to finish periods without surrendering late goals. This has become a trend in the last month of play. On March 1st, Anaheim rookie defenseman Trevor Zegras scored with 22 seconds left on the power play to beat Boston 4-3. It was the second goal allowed by the Bruins with under two minutes remaining in a period that night. In the first period, with 57 seconds left, Adam Henrique gave the Ducks a 3-1 lead.

What looked like just a tough night for Boston became more and more common. In fact, the Bruins have allowed ten goals (not including empty-netters) with under two minutes left in a period since March 1st (16 for the season.) The thought was that adding Lindholm to the lineup would help provide a solid top-line defensive pairing with Charlie McAvoy for these situations. On Monday night, the Bruins gave up a goal to Columbus’ Zach Werenski with 16 seconds to play to tie the game at 2. Boston would go on to win 3-2 in overtime. Two days prior, Gustav Nyquist scored with 28 seconds remaining in the first period in a game Boston eventually won 5-2.

Overall, the Bruins have survived these late-period breakdowns, with most of them occurring against non-playoff teams. But it is something to keep an eye on as the postseason approaches. An anomaly turned into a trend that can not turn into the reason the Bruins do not advance in the playoffs.

Season 4. Episode 38. B.C. Bruins Bruins Benders Podcast

 Join the Bruins Benders Podcast as they cover the HOTTEST topics in the Boston Bruins market, along with…- Bruins Draft Recap- How did the Bruins do on Day 1 of Free Agency?- Bruins trade for Viktor Arvidsson.- Steve Spott hired as new Assistant Coach.& Much More!Bruins Benders Premium Hoodies $55https://shop.insidetherink.com/products/get-bent-premium-hoodieBruins Benders Long Sleeve Tee $40https://shop.insidetherink.com/products/bruins-benders-long-sleeve-tee-1Bruins Benders Tee $30https://shop.insidetherink.com/products/bruins-benders-t-shirt-1For more from us, visit: insidetherink.com/bruins-bendersBoston Bruins Trade Rumors, Boston Bruins News, Boston Bruins, Jeremy Swayman, Joonas Korpisalo, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, Nikita Zadorov, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Andrew Peeke, Parker Wotherspoon, Johnny Beecher, Mark Kastelic, Justin Brazeau, Cole Koepke, Trent Frederic, Matthew Poitras, Charlie Coyle, Pavel Zacha, Morgan Geekie, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm, Oliver Wahlstrom, Fabian Lysell, Georgii Merkulov, Joe Sacco, Don Sweeney, Cam Neely, Brandon Carlo Trade#nhl #nhlbruins #hockey #bostonbruins #nhlplayoffs #bruins #nhlhockey #nhlmemes #boston #nhlallstar #nhldiscussion #nhlnews #nhledits #nhldraft #bruinsnation #nhlawards #nhltrade #hockeylife #tdgarden #nhlhighlights #bostonsports #bruinshockey #bruinsfan #nhlblackhawks #nhlglobalseries #nhlfi #nhlleafs #nhltrades #nhltradedeadline #nhlcanadiens #nhl #nhlnews #hockey #nhlhockey #nhlplayoffs #nhledits #nhldiscussion #nhlmemes #nhldraft #nhlallstar #hockeylife #hockeynews #hockeymemes #nhlhighlights #icehockey #sports #hockeyislife #nhlbruins #hockeyplayers #hockeyfan #hockeyplayer #hockeyedits #stanleycup #nhlawards #hockeygame #hockeyboys #hockeygram #hockeyfights #nhltrade #nhltrades 
  1. Season 4. Episode 38. B.C. Bruins
  2. Season 4. Episode 37. Gimme a J. Gimme a G.
  3. Season 4. Episode 36. What's Your Vector, Victor?
  4. Season 4. Episode 35. Riding the Sturm Out.
  5. Season 4. Episode 34. Marco? Polo?

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

Pittsburgh Penguins Acquire Matt Dumba From Dallas Stars

Pittsburgh Penguins Acquire Matt Dumba From Dallas Stars

Pittsburgh Penguins Acquire Matt Dumba From Dallas Stars

Read More
Isaac Howard drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning

Opinion: Isaac Howard Could Crack the Oilers Lineup Sooner Than Expected

Isaac Howard had an incredible season at Michigan State, putting up 26 goals and 52 points in 37 games. He won the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey. The problem? Tampa didn’t have the cap space or roster room to bring him in right away, and Howard made it clear he […]

Read More
Isaac Howard skating for Michigan State Spartans

Isaac Howard Traded To Edmonton Oilers

On Tuesday evening, the Edmonton Oilers completed a trade of prospects with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Winger Isaac Howard is headed to the province of Alberta, and centerman Sam O’Reilly is headed to the state of Florida. There was quite a bit of noise about the Oilers being interested in acquiring Howard and being close […]

Read More