The junk drawer is where you throw everything you can’t find a place for, so these articles will have a little of everything: Some statistics, some prospects, some opinion, some information, no swearing (you’re welcome, John!), and anything else Bruins related I feel like you all need to know. If there is ever anything you’d like to see appear in The Junk Drawer just let me know in the comments.
Cleaning out the junk…
The Bruins 2024-25 season is a few weeks old, and Boston has a 3-4-1 record after 8 games. The B’s have lost 3 in a row and things seem to be coming off the rails. They’re the most undisciplined, most penalized team in the league. The Penalty Kill is terrible. The Power Play is awful. The offense can’t generate any scoring chances 5v5, and the players are giving the puck away at an alarming rate. In their last 3 losses, the Bruins have given the puck away 22, 18, and 21 times respectively.
Here are Boston’s league ranks after the team’s first eight games (3-4-1):
Goals For: 23 (18th)
Goals Against: 29 (25th)
Assists: 36 (20th)
Shooting Percentage: 10.55% (18th)
Power Play Percentage: 15.2% (25th)
Penalty Kill Percentage: 77.7% (19th)
Penalty Minutes: 110 (32nd)
Comparing the stats from the first 5 games to now – the Bruins have gotten worse in EVERY statistical category. It’s alarming.
The Bruins’ defense and goaltending have been a backbone of the team since the Claude Julien days – it may not be sexy, but the Bruins need to return to their defensive structure and take care of their defensive zone if they want to get a sniff of the playoffs. The current roster is not talented enough to outscore teams. Boston lacks the forward depth to go up and down the ice, matching chances with the likes of Florida, Toronto, Tampa Bay, and even Ottawa – who are all currently above them in the Atlantic Division.
Jim Montgomery has come under fire for how this Bruins team has played. Starts have always seemed to be an issue for Boston under Montgomery, and that continues. Montgomery has a lightning-quick trigger when it comes to changing the lines. The lines don’t just change from game to game, or period to period, but also shift to shift. How can the players develop any chemistry with linemates if they’re constantly playing with different players? The decisions Montgomery is making to shuffle guys in and out of the lineup don’t seem to be working either. Riley Tufte goes in against Colorado and commits two offensive zone penalties. (Both penalties resulted in Avalanche power-play goals), Max Jones goes in against Nashville and takes two penalties in the first period, with one leading to a power play goal against, Parker Wotherspoon gets into the action against Dallas and commits…you guessed it…a penalty that gives Dallas a two-goal lead. Maybe it’s hockey culture or just the coaching staff cow-towing to veteran players, but why do the Mason Lohrei’s or Matt Poitras’ of the world get reduced ice time, benched, or scratched for mistakes while the leadership group gets a free pass?
Related Post: Boston Bruins Place Forward on Waivers
Riley Tufte was waived by the Bruins on Friday. Tufte had a good training camp and deserved to make the Opening Day Roster but there haven’t been enough good moments since camp for him to keep his spot. Too many penalties and not enough production.
Hopefully, this will open a spot for Tyler Johnson, who has been practicing with the team on a Professional Tryout (PTO) and biding his time. The time is now. The other option would be Fabian Lysell, who has shown flashes in Providence and would give the Bruins a player with speed and skill. The Bruins need a change, a spark, something, and it’s time to give these guys a chance to show what they can do. I’d like to see both guys on the team with the lines looking something like this:
Marchand – E. Lindholm – Pastrnak
Zacha – Poitras – Johnson
Frederic – Coyle – Geekie
Beecher – Kastelic – Koepke
H. Lindholm – McAvoy
Zadorov – Carlo
Lohrei – Peeke
Swayman
In the Minors:
The Providence Bruins have started the season 2-2-0, with Vinny Lettieri leading the club with 3 goals. Defenseman Jordan Oesterle leads the team with 5 points (2g, 3a) in 4 games.
Other Notable Providence Bruins:
Fabian Lysell has 1 goal and 1 assist in 4 games.
Georgii Merkulov has 2 assists in 4 games.
Michael DiPietro is 2-0-0, with a 1.00 GAA, a .962 SV% (51 saves on 53 shots) with 1 shutout
Bruins Prospects In the NCAA:
A couple of Bruins prospects have had strong starts to their collegiate seasons:
Center Dans Locmelis is poised for a breakout season. The UMass-Amherst Sophomore has 5 assists in 5 games for the Minutemen.
6-foot-2 Forward Chris Pelosi has started his college career with 2 points (1g, 1a) in 3 games for Quinnipiac.
The Bruins returned home from a 3-game road trip with a 1-1-1 record. Their first game back home at TD Garden against Dallas was a disheartening 5-2 loss. Bruins’ NESN Analyst and former player Barry Pedersen called the Bruins’ play in the 2nd period some of the worst hockey he’s EVER SEEN at TD Garden – that is a BOLD statement and something that should make Bruins fans uneasy about the makeup of this current group because Barry Pedersen has seen a LOT of hockey in his day. The next game is Saturday night, October 26, at 7 pm, and Matty and Smitty will be at Lops Brewing in Woonsocket, RI, for Halloween Party, a re-release of the Benders Bar Down NE IPA, a live podcast at 5 pm, followed by a watch party for the Bruins/Leafs game. So come by and say Hello!
Season 4. Episode 17. Stanley Cup Parade Back On? – Bruins Benders Podcast
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