Talking about the 2024-25 Boston Bruins has been an endless rollercoaster ride. Topics have ranged from calling up players from Providence, the slacking offense, and goaltending not being where it needs to be. In this piece, we’ll look at the team’s offense and how it needs to help out goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who’s been amazing since the Christmas break.
Swayman Has Been Stellar Since the Christmas Break
Will the real Swayman please stand up? That’s likely what everyone was thinking before the break. At times early in the season, he stood on his head and kept the team in close games, but at other times, he got ihs doors blown off by the hinges. However, the Christmas break did Swayman some good and allowed him to hit the reset button. He needed it, the team needed it, and Swayman has been stellar to start the new year.
Related: Bruins Should Look to Extend Morgan Geekie
In eight starts since the break, he has put up an impressive .925 save percentage, a 2.39 goals-against average, and his goals saved above expected is 9.01, showing how dialed in he has been. That’s the good news: the Bruins’ number-one goalie is finally back to his vintage self. The bad news? The Bruins are 3-5-0 in those eight starts, which means the team in front of him needs to be better.
Bruins Need to Pull Their Weight
The team has not done nearly enough to help Swayman since the break. They surrendered four or more goals in three games and scored four goals in back-to-back games but managed to lose both. Bad defensive breakdowns (against the Toronto Maple Leafs) and an inability to finish (against the New York Islanders) spoiled their offensive efforts.
Overall, the Bruins have struggled to score. They rank 21st in goals scored since the break, and 24th in average goals per game with 2.34. Swayman has put the team on his back, but the offense has not given him any support. After their shutout loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 7, Charlie Coyle gave an honest answer about the team’s struggles:
“The good teams correct that and see things slipping,” Coyle said. “We need to do a better job of that and identifying that and making sure we’re doing the right things. It’s never going to be a perfect season. No team plays perfect. Every team has lulls. But we’ve got to stop the bleeding quicker here. We can’t let it seep in game after game like that with his little stretch going on right now.”
– From ‘Bruins ‘embarrassed’ after losing fifth straight in really ugly way’ – The Athletic, 1/7/2025
Yes, we’ve seen the lull, but the Bruins have had offensive issues since the season began. The game against the New York Rangers on Jan. 2 was winnable against a team struggling to find their way. Scoring one goal was a tough pill to swallow. After the Islanders matchup, they managed to score one goal between two games before stealing a victory against the Florida Panthers. The Bruins defied the odds in that matchup, as the Panthers out-attempted the Bruins 109-37 and outshot them 43-18.
It has become the David Pastrnak show since the break. From Dec. 28 until now, he has seven goals. The next closest are Justin Brazeau and Morgan Geekie with three goals each. Coyle, Brad Marchand, and Pavel Zacha are all goalless in that span.
Bruins Offense Finally Clicked
The Bruins need more scoring and this week is a good time for the offense to find a new gear. The Bruins took on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, Jan. 14, and face the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, Jan. 18.
The Bruins used the fuel from the victory against the Panthers and came out flying against the Lightning on Tuesday night. With a fast start, they got the best of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, managing four goals on 18 shots, and another two into the empty net. It was a performance the Bruins needed.
Swayman has been peppered more often recently and over the past two games, he became the fourth Bruins goaltender to have back-to-back 40-save performances. Swayman is doing his part in giving the team a chance to win and the offense needs to continue to do their part as well.
Offense Needs to Continue to Aid Swayman
Everyone wanted Swayman to play live up to his $8.25 million contract. Now he is, but the team is letting him down with a lack of goal support. Everyone not named Pastrnak needs to step up to the plate.
