The final game on the road trip is on deck, as the Boston Bruins travel to Texas to take on the Dallas Stars. It is the second and final time they will see one another this season. The Stars won big the first game by a score of 5-2 and the Bruins will look to flip that script this time.
The Bruins will have to do it without defenseman Hampus Lindholm, as he has been ruled out for weeks with a lower-body injury. It will not be an easy game for the Bruins. The Stars are one of the best teams in hockey, so here’s how they can secure the two points.
Bruins Special Teams Have to Improve
To begin the season, the Bruins have struggled in most areas. One area that they need to improve on is special teams. Head coach Jim Montgomery switched up the power play units by putting Hampus Lindholm on the top unit, which looked like it had life until he suffered an injury in the game Tuesday night. There is enough power on the top unit for it to be successful. However, the penalty kill has to improve, because if not, the Stars have plenty of weapons to burn them.
The Bruins have gone 4-1-1 in their last six games, which is great. Although, the penalty kill has struggled. In the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, they allowed three power-play goals. The Calgary Flames caught fire on the man advantage to climb back into the game and the St. Louis Blues scored their first two power-play goals on home ice against the Bruins. Shocker.
In this six-game stretch, the Bruins have allowed the most shorthanded goals with seven. The Stars have scored just three goals in this stretch and have the 17th-best power play in the league. While that’s not the most lethal unit, the Bruins have gotten burned plenty.
In the first meeting between the two clubs, the Stars scored on three power plays in the second period to secure a huge 5-2 victory. The Bruins need to learn their lesson and stay out of the penalty box against this team because they can score.
Neutralizing the Duchene Line
The one great thing about the Stars’ offense is that they are deep. They have no shortage of talent and have four lines that are capable of producing. For the Bruins’ defense, the one line they need to key on is the second line for the Stars. That line is led by Matt Duchene, Mason Marchment, and Tyler Seguin. Duchene currently leads the team in points (18) and goals with eight. Seguin is right behind him with seven, and the two are enjoying chemistry playing alongside one another. They had it during the 2023-24 season and it’s blossomed further and the two players have found new life playing together.
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It is not just the production that they are displaying individually that is noticeable. The trio has been the Stars’ best line this season in terms of their on-ice impacts. Together, they have generated the most expected goals of any Stars line with 4.9 and have met those expectations by scoring four goals. They’ve kept pace with the top line and have been a huge boost in production for the team. You have to love it if you are head coach Pete DeBoer.
For the Bruins, they’ll want to neutralize this line and continue limiting quality chances like they have been. If they have a defensive breakdown when they are on the ice, the puck could land in the back of the net. The Bruins have been better as of late at five-on-five, where they’d much rather keep things.
Continued Steadiness at Five-on-Five
Five-on-five play has not been the best for the Bruins during the 2024-25 season. For the first half of the season, they were bottom of the barrel in just about every category offensively and the team needed an influx of offense. After getting spooked by the Carolina Hurricanes on Halloween night in an 8-2 loss, the Bruins have begun to right the ship.
It has been encouraging at times watching the Bruins play. They have looked like a much better team at five-on-five and have looked like a team that can put together shifts and get after the opposing defense. It’s been a better reason for their success, as they’ve done a good job of limiting quality chances.
In this six-game stretch (Nov. 2-12), the Bruins have done a great job limiting high-danger chances. They’ve allowed just 32 high-danger attempts while also allowing 17 high-danger shots against (third fewest). Also, they have a 7-0 goal differential in the high-danger areas. Not only have they suppressed the opposition, but they’ve been opportunistic themselves.
The Bruins offense has been better as of late and is finding their stride. While the Corsi for percentage is middle of the pack, they’ve done a good job of taking the quality looks. The Bruins have the third-best xGF% and have generated the third-most expected goals. With them being more opportunistic, they have translated that into scoring with 11 goals and have outscored teams 11-3 during five-on-five play.
Morgan Geekie finally found the back of the net. Brad Marchand has developed chemistry with Elias Lindholm and Pavel Zacha is reunited with David Pastrnak. The team is beginning to click more offensively and the signs are trending upward. They are going to need this type of effort, as the Stars are a strong team during five-on-five play.
Keep Building Momentum
The Bruins want to build the momentum. They are coming off a great comeback victory against the Blues and the celebration on the Pastrnak goal said it all. They’ll want to build off that against a strong team in the Stars. Being without Lindholm won’t be easy, but if they can stay disciplined then they’ll be in good shape. They’ve been a better team lately and have played better as a group. It will be a good test, but a test the Bruins can pass.
