Jake DeBrusk made his triumphant return to Boston for the first time since signing with the Vancouver Canucks and he did not disappoint. Not only did DeBrusk score a goal, but he scored the game-winner and the Canucks won 2-0. This was one of the best games from an offensive standpoint for the Bruins. However, their inability to bury their chances ultimately doomed them in the end.
Bruins Are Snakebitten
At the end of the day, you want results because it’s what matters the most. The Bruins did not light the lamp and were snakebitten the entire game. However, they did do a lot of good things, something they can carry into the next game.
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Puck luck is a thing and the Bruins had none of it. Despite that, they put forth their most dominant offensive game of the season and sustained a lot of pressure in the offensive zone. It was something everyone had been waiting for.
The Bruins have struggled mightily at times during five-on-five play. More often than not they are chasing the game and not dictating the pace of it. For a full 60 minutes, they looked in sync and were feeding off one another. At five-on-five, they led in shot attempts 57-23, good for a Corsi for percentage of 71.25. The shot totals were by a wide margin (25-12). This domination led to a 27-8 scoring chance differential and the Bruins caving in the Canucks defense in the high-danger areas of the ice. Chances were coming in waves. They were getting the quantity and the quality.
Under interim head coach Joe Sacco, the Bruins have generated 2.48 expected goals during five-on-five play and scored one goal before this game in this area of play. In this game, the Bruins generated 4.09 expected goals in all situations, showcasing their dominance and quality of chances.
Their issue is being snake-bitten. Their inability to capitalize on their chances is evident and the team is struggling to finish. Are they gripping their sticks too tight? Are they trying to do too much? It’s hard to say. But the Bruins’ lack of firepower is evident and being snakebitten is a real thing. If they can get over the hurdle and overcome this storm, they’ll be in good shape with this type of effort.
The hockey gods can be cruel sometimes, but this is the type of effort you want to see. This is something the Bruins can build off of going forward.
Defensive Structure Intact Under Joe Sacco
The Bruins are not a team that’s built to win high-scoring games. Given the constructed roster, they are built to win tight-checking and low-scoring games. Honing in on what you are good at is important and that’s what the Bruins are doing. Is it boring? Sure. High-event hockey with blazing speed is much more appealing to the naked eye. However, for the Bruins, sticking to their strengths is what will make them a better team.
One thing the Bruins have done under Sacco is play structurally sound defense. They are not only in position, but are doing a great job of suppressing the opposition. In two games under Sacco, the Bruins have given up 3.33 expected goals against in all situations and 1.99 during five-on-five play. That’s a significant improvement. Against the Canucks, the defense came ready to play.
The Bruins not only limited the quantity of shots, but the quality of shots. In all situations, they allowed 31 shot attempts with 15 reaching Jeremy Swayman. Also, the Bruins allowed just two high-danger shot attempts. Two. They did a tremendous job of boxing out the Canucks forwards and keeping things to the blue line and the perimeter. Making goaltender Swayman’s job easy was good to see.
As good as they were defensively, they still lost and it happens. This is not the result the Bruins wanted, but this type of effort is encouraging going into the next game.
Build Off of This Effort
The results were not there, but the effort was. The Bruins outplayed the Canucks in all areas of the game. Goaltender Kevin Lankinen was strong between the pipes and looked like the second coming of Roberto Luongo. He pitched a shutout and finished with 4.09 goals saved above expected. The offense was there for the Bruins, but their finishing ability was not. With strong defensive structure and this type of effort, optimism should be high going forward. Sacco had the perfect quote at the end of the game, which is the perfect mantra to have moving forward.
“I’m sure they’re frustrated, but we can’t let that settle in on us. The guys need to just dig in.”
Just keep digging.
