The Boston Bruins’ road trip officially ends with a loss. They stormed into Nashville to take on the Predators who managed to get their first victory of the season against the Bruins. It was a similar game against the Utah Hockey Club, where the Bruins got exceptional goaltending, but the offense was much to be desired. Here is what stood out the most in the 4-0 loss.
Thankful for Jeremy Swayman
The Bruins’ shiny $8.25 million man has been the biggest bright spot lately. Jeremy Swayman was without a doubt the best player on the ice in the game against the Utah Hockey Club and was once again the most important player against the Predators.
The Bruins got off to a slower start in the first period and felt the desperation of the Predators right from puck drop. Swayman stood tall and made numerous key saves, whether it was on a breakaway or finding pucks through traffic. He was dialed in and saved the Bruins’ bacon on more than one occasion. You have to feel confident in the fact that your goalie is focused and on his game.
Swayman was sharp once again. He finished the game with a .927 save percentage, a 3.05 goals-against average, and an eye-opening 1.5 goals saved above expected. That’s strong goaltending, despite allowing three goals.
You want your best players to be your best players and Swayman has been that right now. Were there a few goals that he would like to have back? Absolutely, especially the second goal. But overall, he was a large reason the Bruins were in this game.
Five-on-Five Offense Remains Stagnant
Talk about a slow start for the Bruins, who had trouble sustaining any offense during five-on-five play. One thing the Predators have been good at is controlling the play and limiting the opposition’s chances. For the Bruins, that was an issue as they couldn’t muster up much with the puck.
Related: Bruins Need a Quality Over Quantity Approach Versus Predators Tonight
The Bruins generated only eight shot attempts, showing that the quantity was not evident. Well, the quality wasn’t there either. The Predators took to the attack and crunched them in scoring chances (7-1) and dominated the expected goals share (0.86-0.16). It was a new game with the same results.
The Bruins showed great pushback as the game went on, but the quality of chances wasn’t there. Through two periods, they had just four scoring chances and two high-danger attempts. They took to the attack and tried to smother the Predators’ defense, but it was not enough. While they led in shot attempts, they were not getting good scoring chances or even being able to penetrate the high-danger areas of the ice. The Predators played more passively in the third period, but the Bruins’ finishing ability was not evident despite getting better looks.
The juggling of the lines does not help, as the team cannot form proper chemistry together. Right now it feels like they have nothing going no matter the changes. Simplifying their games and not gripping their sticks too tight could help too. Juuse Saros was completely dialed in and credit to him for slamming the door shut on the opportunities that the Bruins did have and securing the shutout.
The New-Look Top Line
The days of the “Perfection Line” seem so far away. Granted, it worked perfectly, as Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, and Brad Marchand formed unbelievable chemistry. Over the course of the last few games, head coach Jim Montgomery has shuffled the deck and has made line changes. Trying to find the right combination and the right balance has been a challenge. He even went ahead and touched the top line and made a change.
Pavel Zacha made his way down to the third line alongside Matthew Poitras and Marchand joined the top line with Elias Lindholm and Pastrnak. Credit to the top line, they made their presence known.
Of all the Bruins’ forward lines, this one was the more effective one from an offensive standpoint. Pastrnak had a few breakaways, but could not light the lamp. Overall, they had a Corsi for percentage (CF%) of 45 and managed to outshoot the Predators when on the ice. Not only did they have the quantity, but the quality. They held the edge in high-danger attempts and were buzzing around the net. The results were not there, but this instills optimism if Montgomery does opt to keep the trio together because they played well.
The Bruins End Trip With a Loss
The Bruins went ahead and wrapped up their road trip with a loss. They’ve managed to go 1-1-1 on the trip and now head back home. The offense needs to find ways to be more effective and dominant. If not for Swayman, the last two games could’ve been much worse than they were. They need to regroup and get ready for a huge tilt on Thursday night, as the Dallas Stars come to town.
