The Boston Bruins (12-10-0) find themselves in a tie for second place in the Atlantic Division a quarter of the way into the season. They have dropped their last three contests, but prior to that they won seven in a row. The team’s early-season performance may come as a surprise to many, as the Bruins finished far out of relevance last season and did not make any major moves in free agency. While they have outperformed expectations, there have been two major areas of concern that fans should keep an eye on. Here’s a look.
Injuries
The Bruins absolutely need to stay healthy this season, as they do not have the depth to be able to weather injuries to key players. Health is already a concern in this young season as Charlie McAvoy and Elias Lindholm are currently sidelined. Head coach Marco Sturm has not shared a timetable for McAvoy’s injury, which occurred last weekend against the Montreal Canadiens when he took a puck to the face and required surgery. If McAvoy ends up missing an extended period of time, the Bruins will likely struggle to fill his skates as they did a season ago when he was injured down the stretch. Lindholm’s status is more encouraging, as he traveled with the team on their West Coast road trip.
Defensive health is particularly a concern for this team. Both McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, the team’s two stud defensemen, missed extended time last season. Their absences were felt greatly as the Bruins plummeted to the bottom of the NHL in the second half of the season without them. McAvoy particularly has a presence that is impossible to replace. He is a leader in the locker room and potential future captain, provides a level of physicality that makes the Bruins hard to play against, and consistently contributes on the power play.
Secondary Scoring
Secondary scoring is another major area of concern. While it has improved relative to a season ago, it is still not nearly where it needs to be. David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie have remained the two major contributors on offense, and they still do not have enough reliable scoring behind them. There have been flashes of positive play from certain players further down in the forward group such as Marat Khusnutdinov, however when Geekie and Pastrnak are not able to produce, it has been very hard for this team to win games.
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As a result of this lack of secondary talent, the Bruins’ offense has looked slow and predictable at times. Combining this with the injuries on the blue line makes winning games an uphill battle. Geekie and Pastrnak have been brilliant this season, however the Bruins have not yet won a game in which their opponent have scored more than three goals. Elevating their level of secondary scoring would take pressure off their two star forwards and defense, and allow the Bruins to stick with opponents in higher-scoring games.
Areas of Concern
While the Bruins have started the season hot, their margin for error is slim, with more than half of their wins coming by one goal. As a result, they cannot afford to lose more key players in addition to McAvoy. Additionally, while Pastrnak and Geekie have been able to carry the team to wins, remaining near the top of the Eastern Conference is unlikely if they are the only two making meaningful contributions on offense. If the Bruins are able to stay healthy and can find more secondary scoring, they should continue to be relevant in the Atlantic Division. If not, it is likely that they will struggle to string together wins going forward.
